Question about making custom photo invitations and holiday cards

I dont have Photoshop yet but am looking into buying it. I also have a few questions about making custom invitations and holiday cards.

Can I buy the cheaper Photoshop elements or do I need to buy the really $$$ one?

Where do you get the pictures, elements, etc. that you add to your invitations like buttons, ribbons and other things that make them look like scrapbook pages?

What about if i wanted to wording in the background like on this card?




To make these types of cards and invitation can I get away with Photoshop Elements? What about GIMP I know a few girls on here have mentioned?

Re: Question about making custom photo invitations and holiday cards

for elements I would check out Digital Scrapbooking sites. Some of them give the designs away for free, others are for sale but not really that expensive.
HTH's

Re: Question about making custom photo invitations and holiday cards

I used to work with graphic designers, and they told me that unless I was going to be creating ads for a magazine Elements was fine. It's just missing a few functions that are only used when preparing a file for a professional printer.

I get papers, ribbons, embellishments from digital scrapping sites. There is a thread on here Barb started with a lot of links.

ETA: the wording in the background would be a layer over the red background, and then you'd layer the other elements (photos, ribbon, other text boxes) over that layer. It sounds more complicated than it is.

Message edited 10/3/2008 5:33:47 PM.

Re: Question about making custom photo invitations and holiday cards

And when creating your own invitations, cards or whatever, where do you print them from? Your own printer or save it and bring it to CVS to print out? Upload it to shutterfly to print out?

Message edited 10/3/2008 6:54:25 PM.

Re: Question about making custom photo invitations and holiday cards

That card looks pretty easy to make.

First layer - red
Second layer - words "fa, la, la"
Third layer - pictures, with a white stroke on the edges
Fourth & Fifth layer - rectangle boxes (on with the opacity down to look like vellum)

The rest is just text.

If you're willing to come to my area, I can teach you or walk you through over the phone. FM me if you need help.

Elements is fine for cards. I'm not that familiar with it but it should be easy to figure out.

Re: Question about making custom photo invitations and holiday cards

I agree with Barb. I think the hardest parts if you are not familiar with photoshop would be fading the text and adding the borders around the photos.

Re: Question about making custom photo invitations and holiday cards

Yeah, I agree - Elements would be ok for this.

As for printing, I usually use Vista Print and find them to be really good and cheap too. You download their template and you can work from there. They are always running specials and free shipping, things like that.